FONDERIE HENRI BOUILLIANT - Lot 611

FONDERIE HENRI BOUILLIANT REAL ESTATE NUMBERING PLATE High-relief cast iron, rectangular shape with lugs, bearing the number "3". Henri Bouilliant foundry, rue de Ménilmontant, Paris. Second half of the 19th century. Height. 17 cm; Width. 32 cm. In 1846, Parisian Henri Bouilliant patented a set of directional signs known as "coachman's signs" or "Système Bouilliant" to replace the old royal milestones. These were cast relief letters (background and letters in a single cast) in cast iron, zinc, copper or any other fusible metal, to give the direction and mileage of a destination with great precision. Sometimes to the nearest metre. White and black or blue and white, they are installed on buildings at coachman height.